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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25811209">sweet 'n sour</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inventivetic/pseuds/Inventivetic'>Inventivetic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>left-pawed, right-pawed [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Hat in Time (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempt at Humor, CC-centric, Canon Non-Binary Character, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Mom!CC, No Beta, Self-Indulgent, Short Story, Subconites are here, Warm-up, headcannon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:41:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>958</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25811209</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inventivetic/pseuds/Inventivetic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cooking Cat does what she does best for the biggest baddie in town: Snatcher.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>left-pawed, right-pawed [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1971322</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sweet 'n sour</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hello there! So nice of your<em> soul to drop in</em>.” The specter drawled, his smile curling. Cooking Cat, as she was known by Snatcher, tried not to shudder in the doorway. With hardly a word, she dropped the picnic basket in front of him as he sat on his chair—his throne—and stood patiently with paws clasped. One of his claws extended to take it and he ruffled inside, utensils and plates clanking together as he did.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m impressed,” He said absently. There was a twinkle in his eye that made him look less dead and enamored with the item,  "you really came through.” She ducked her head and turned to leave when Snatcher cleared his throat.</p><p> </p><p>“Aren’t you missing something?” Cooking Cat’s eyes darted around the room and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. The two made eye contact.</p><p> </p><p>“No, ” She said, failing to keep the venom out of her voice, “what <em>am</em> I missing?” He gestured to the doorway and he saw four hooded figures scramble away from the hollow.</p><p> </p><p>“I usually wouldn’t tolerate that tone from you, considering the <em>position that you’re in</em>... but <em>they</em> wanted to have some <em>fun with you.</em>" She didn’t like the sound of that. She gulped as discreetly as possible and exited outside.</p><p> </p><p>And that’s how she learned the masked ghosts, at least her <em>captors</em> were children.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s it like outside of Subcon?”</p><p> </p><p>“How often do you watch movies?”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you get to bed when you want to?”</p><p> </p><p>She tried to remain calm as they climbed all over her, put their mitten-like hands all over her tail, and touched her ears, and took her <em>hat</em>. It was incredibly difficult not to yell. Most of them grew tired of her as she began to gather sticks. But when she kneeled down to start the fire, two of them jumped onto her back. She yelped.</p><p> </p><p>“Now listen here!” Her anger finally boiled over and she stood abruptly and turned onto the two that were now on the ground. “Good little girls and boys do not jump on other people!”</p><p> </p><p>“What if you are not a girl or a boy? Neither?” One of the Subconites shot back.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>People</em> should not jump on <em>people</em>!” She corrected, paws on hips and she returned to the cauldron dangling over the bundle she had yet to ignite. She began to strike the rocks together. Sparks flew.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing here anyway? In Subcon?” The same one said snootily. “Shouldn’t you be chasing yarn somewhere? <em>Cat?</em>” Cooking Cat grit her teeth.</p><p> </p><p>“This is the one Hat Kid caught, remember?” <em>Skkkh!</em> The flame began to grow and she lowered herself to the ground. “She was right to pick you. You have such a pretty soul…I wonder why the boss didn’t take it?” Cooking Cat sighed, thinking back to Hat Kid. She had followed the girl into Subcon Forest with the intention of protecting her from her 'BFF', and then Hat Kid had simply disappeared. Now that she was looking back... it was her own fault. She wasn't looking for the traps.</p><p> </p><p>“How can you tell? How her soul looks?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Look at her aura! It’s so bright…” She said, “you have a lot of magic inside of you, don’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>Cooking Cat looked up, startled. She put a gentle hand to her chest. The flame had grown a decent size, admitting heat and casting them orange on one side. She suspected that she looked the same.</p><p> </p><p>“You…you can tell?” Her voice trembled.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Is that a yes?” The child’s chin rose, pleased with themself.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, how can you tell? I just see it. Her aura,” The other one leaned in close, and Cooking Cat was forced to stare into their swirling face. “I just see… her.” She opted not to answer and tried to busy her hands with the bundle of herbs and fungus she had found. She picked up a mushroom and prepared to dice it with her unsheathed claws.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… when I was ali—HEY!” Cooking Cat and the other child jumped. Aura Subconite surged forward and snatched the mushroom from her paws.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! I need that for the broth!” Please let her be done. After this, maybe she would finally figure out where Hat Kid was, and she could leave this horrid place.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s poisonous!”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s not!” Cooking Cat snapped before she ran a paw over her head, willing her frayed nerves for an ounce of patience, “no it is not. The one with dark blue spots are. These are lighter.”</p><p> </p><p>The aura Subconite brought the mushroom closer to their face. “…How can you tell? You just got here a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been here my entire unlife.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been here before.” She said automatically, her eyes growing hazy. She had when it was… alive. People walked the roads, trading spices, and rumors, and stories. Hadn’t Subcon been a beautiful place once? The two considered each other.</p><p> </p><p>“I recognize you…” Aura muttered, and something resonated in the back of Cooking Cat’s mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Me too.” Cooking Cat said, face softening. Cooking Cat said, face softening. It had felt that she had<em>--literally--</em>known Aura from another life.  “J…Jamie?”Aura—or Jamie?— paused for a second. Then they burst out laughing.</p><p> </p><p>“Hahahaha! No? I think you’ve spent too long inhaling spores!”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you cooking for, anyway?” Snooty asked, jumping repeatedly to look into the cauldron.</p><p> </p><p>“I figured…if I am going to be staying here, I might as well…make a good impression on you children.” Never mind that she was contractually obligated to. </p><p> </p><p>“How do you know? That we’re kids?” Snooty responded.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve lived long enough to know,” She said, “now do you know where I can get some freshwater?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>just a warm up, dumping ideas in a fic. thanks for reading &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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